Final Fantasy: Origins
by The Mauve Lantern
Summary: Join Orion, Lazarus, Kozu and Lucius as they set out to prove themselves as the Warriors of Light! Aided by the allies they meet in their travels, they must save the world before Chaos seizes control! A re-telling of Final Fantasy I.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is copyrighted by Nintendo_

**Final Fantasy: Origins**

By The Mauve Lantern

_In the 14__th__ age of man,_

_The world lies,_

_shrouded in darkness._

_The winds die…_

_The seas rage…_

_The earth decays…_

_But the people believe_

_in a prophecy, patiently _

_awaiting its fulfillment. _

"_When darkness veils the _

_world, four Warriors of Light_

_shall come."_

_After a long journey, _

_four young travelers_

_did at last appear…_

_and in the hand of each_

_was clutched a crystal…_

***

"Admit it, we're lost."

Two male travelers are wandering through the forest, their destination nowhere in sight; since the sun has begun to set, this is not a good thing. They have been wandering for a few weeks now, and they only stop when they can acquire temporary jobs at a village and/or city. Both have their talents that make them useful, but at the same time, they have equally impressive faults.

Leading the pair of vagabonds is Lazarus, a sharp-tongued lad no older than fifteen years. He is small for his age, but he compensates for this with his verbal quips, which have been known to be as venomous as a serpent's bite. For all his bravado, however, Lazarus has a thin build, and lacks in physical strength; the reason he uses knives is because they are the only things he can ably handle. His figure is clothed in a flowing, azure robe, with a black, long-sleeved tunic underneath. The young mage wears a pair of brown, leather shoes on his feet, and there is a yellow, pointed hat that adorns his head. With the combination of an upturned collar and the pulled-down brim on his hat, his face is concealed, save for a pair of golden eyes.

"We are not lost," his companion tells him, "You must have read the directions wrong!"

Orion, a fighter of eighteen years, is the sole companion of Lazarus, though he is not exactly very intelligent. His entire life has been devoted to learning the sword, so it came as no surprise when he failed to master any form of magic. He is clad in a suit of red armor that covers his shoulders and torso, while red gloves protect his hands and crimson boots guard his feet. A sword is strapped to his side, held within its scabbard, ready for battle at a moment's notice. Orion has tanned skin and bushy red hair that falls into his face. A perpetual grin seems plastered onto his face.

"Oh, really? And how do you know that?"

"Well, you're the guy with the map!"

"No, YOU have the map. I am the one who is leading us through the forest, while you give me directions. Why are we even in the forest anyway?"

Orion slaps his friend upon the back. "We're here because this old man in the village we just left said that somewhere in these very woods is a cavern from which no man has ever returned!"

"Yeeeeeeah?"

"Within that cave is the Ares Armor, which grants the user invincibility! I've quested for this very item for five years, and it's so close I can SMELL it!" To prove his point, he sniffs the air with his nose. "Yep, definitely here! Can't you smell it?!"

"All I smell is a damnable baboon that traded our gil for useless and incorrect information! Now, we're getting out of this cursed wood before the sun sets."

"Why?"

"Because when the sun goes down, monsters are bound to come out looking for food; we'll be the perfect targets for some flesh-eating monsters!" As if on cue, the ground begins to shake and tremble. Lazarus holds his hat firmly on his head, while Orion steadies himself and pulls his sword from his scabbard.

"I love being an adventurer!" he shouts as the quaking grows louder and more powerful.

"I hate being an adventurer!" Lazarus screams as he ducks behind Orion.

A giant ogre bursts forth from the grove of trees in front of the boys, a large, menacing club in its hand. It has shaggy, green hair that falls to its muscular shoulders, and has a powerful body that's capable of destroying a building in no time at all. Wrapped around its muscular shape is a dire wolf's pelt, covering it like a toga.

The monster lets out a savage roar, but Orion does not move from his spot. "Stand back, friend!" he shouts to Lazarus, "He shall sample my blade!"

"You do that; I'll be running." With that, Lazarus sprints off in the opposite direction as fast his spindly legs can carry him.

When he has vanished into the woods, Orion lets out a heavy sigh. "Oh well, more experience for me!" The fighter turns back to the ogre. "Prepare to meet your maker!" He charges straight for the beast, his sword ready to deliver a killing blow, but Orion is knocked into a tree by the ogre's club.

"Good…preparation…" he groans as he gets back up, "But it won't…help you now! HAVE AT THEE!"

***

While Lazarus is running through the forest, he fails to notice a pair of gray eyes that are watching him from the trees. Hiding behind one large tree is a handsome young man, perhaps twenty years of age, with long, flowing blue hair. He is garbed in a yellow-brown tunic that reaches his biceps, and he has leather wristbands on his forearms. A pair of loose, forest-green trousers is wrapped around his sinewy legs, and his feet are clad in dirt-colored shoes that would allow him to run off at a moment's notice. The young man skulks behind the foliage, waiting for his target to come closer.

"A lone, defenseless mage running through the forest like a scared, helpless maiden, eh? This looks like my lucky day." He clutches a knife in his hand, ready to leap out and mug poor Lazarus, who is currently at odds with himself.

"Orion will be fine, right? Yeah, he'll be okay; he is, after all, a fighter!" Lazarus is so busy arguing with himself that he does not notice the leg that sticks out from behind a tree. The young mage trips and falls to the ground; when he gets his face out of the dirt, he can feel a knife gently pressing against his back.

"Give me your gil, or I'll take your life." He says this with menace in his voice and a cruel smirk planted on his face.

"This day could not get any worse," Lazarus mumbles as he slowly rises from the ground.

"C'mon, don't make this any harder on yourself. Cough up the gil!"

"Take it easy, no one wants to get hurt here…" Lazarus reaches into the confines of his robes. "Let me just pull out my…knife!" With remarkable swiftness, he draws his knife and goes for a slice across the thief's face. Unfortunately, he is not quick enough, and his weapon is knocked from his hands.

The thief pins Lazarus against a tree and smirks. "Wrong move, mage." He holds his knife to the mage's throat and says, "Give me everything that's in that cloak of yours."

"Or what?" he croaks.

"Or I'll kill you and search your corpse. Your call."

Lazarus groans. "Fine, just don't take the frog's breath; I'm saving that for a recipe."

"Well, now I'm OBLIGED to take it."

"Damnation!"

As the thief begins rummaging through Lazarus's robe, he comes upon a small, golden crystal, no bigger than the palm of his hand. It is smooth and polished, and there is a dull light from within. For some reason, this crystal resonates with the thief. While he muses on the crystal, a warm feeling grows in his breast. He reaches down his tunic and pulls out the jade crystal that he has been carrying close to him for over a year now.

In his mind, he thinks, "What is this? Why is the crystal of Air glowing?" The handsome thief glances at the crystal he has taken from the mage. "Is it because of this? This mage's crystal?"

"Where did you get this?" he solemnly asks Lazarus.

"My village elder gave it to me; he said something about it being important, but I've never-" He is cut off by the light that begins to shine forth from the two crystals.

"What did you do?!" Lazarus asks, his eyes wide in anxiousness.

"ME?! YOU must have done this!"

Then, as suddenly as it started, the light in the crystals goes out. Bewildered, Lazarus and the thief stare at the crystals, then back at the crystals, and then at each other once again. Finally, after a period of silence, the thief brushes the hair away from his face and says, "I don't know why, but I…I feel like that was…supposed to happen; like this was destined to occur."

"You mean the fates wanted you to mug me?"

"Maybe! Look, I'm just a thief: my name is Kozu, I've been living out in the wild for far too long, and I have never actually had to kill someone to get money from them. This is far too much for me to undertake, and I'm not sure that I can explain this but-"

"LAZARUS, RUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

Before Kozu can get to his point, Orion appears out of nowhere, running for his life. He is bleeding from a wound on his head, and has a large chunk of armor missing; his sword is nowhere to be found. The terrified fight knocks Kozu away and slings Lazarus over his shoulder like a sack of vegetables before sprinting off into the forest. This leaves Kozu face-down on the ground, with his and Lazarus's crystal in his hands.

"Hey, get back here!" he shouts, but he is knocked out of the way by a rather enraged ogre. "Not to self: watch out for angry ogres. Ow."

***

As Orion runs, Lazarus smirks and quotes his friend, saying, ""Stand back, friend; he shall sample my blade!" huh? How'd that work out for you?"

"Not as well as expected."

"Yeah, that's a surprise."

"Look, do you have any idea how to beat this thing or not?!"

"Let me go, and I'll concoct a magic attack, okay?"

Orion drops his friend onto the ground and readies his sword. "Okay, I'll leave it to you!"

As the fighter proceeds to get another beating, Lazarus begins flipping through his spell book in search of something that could take care of the ogre. Unfortunately for Orion, Lazarus has a terrible attention span, so he stops at every other spell.

"Huh, so this will summon an imp from Hades…interesting…"

"AHHH! OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What th- a spell that makes a woman's…woah, that's a keeper!"

"YOU THINK YOU HAVE ME BEAT, BUT YOU ARE- AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"Oooh, there's a hellfire spell! Definitely pulling this one out for later!"

Finally, Orion is spent, and the ogre picks him up like a rag doll and hurls him into Lazarus, who drops his spells book. The frustrated mage turns back to his half-dead companion and shouts, "Geez, do I have to do everything myself!?"

"Kill…me…" Orion mumbles.

"Not a bad idea, but I still need you as a shield." Lazarus picks himself off the ground and dusts off his cloak. "Let me just grab my book and-"

Before he can grab his spell book, however, the ogre sets upon him and punches him so hard that the wind leaves his lungs. With an oof, he crashes into the ground.

"Rrrrrrrrrr…" the ogre lumbers forward, ready to snap the fallen mage like a dried-up twig. Suddenly, Lazarus shoots up, his eyes glowing red and an orange aura vibrating about his body. A deep chuckle emits from his throat as he holds his hands before him; blue, crackling light is surging from them, and growing larger by the second.

Lazarus points his hands at the ogre and shouts, "FLARAGA!" The dark energy in his palms bursts outward and unleashes a massive inferno that engulfs the ogre and almost the entire forest. The land, the trees, everything is all swallowed up in dark fire, and, without a moment's passing, the entire forest is gone, leaving a smoldering wasteland, along with Orion, who has wound up behind Lazarus.

"Uh, Laz?" asks Orion, "Do you think you overdid it?"

Lazarus blinks once or twice, and the red leaves his eyes. The mage looks at his surroundings and shouts, "What happened here?!"

"You don't remember?"

"No! I remember that ogre hitting me, and then I passed out! What happened to the forest!?"

"You just annihilated it! I've never seen such powerful magic before!"

As Orion goes on talking about how incredible the spell was, Lazarus stares at his hands, which feel cold as ice. "What was that?" he asks himself. "How was I able to cast a spell that could wipe out an entire forest in a mere second?" Before he can think too much on the matter, a wave of nausea passes over him, and he falls to the ground retching.

His friend immediately rushes to his side. "Are you okay?!" he asks in a panic.

"I…I must have used too much magic just now…"

Orion takes the mage's arm and wraps it around his own shoulder. "Well, you're in no condition to walk. We'll just head to Corneria and rest at the inn." Lazarus coughs up a little more, but says nothing. As the two bustle off towards the city of Corneria, they fail to notice the handsome thief watching them from the lone tree left in the forest.

"Hmm…the plot thickens…" With that, Kozu leaps down from the tree and stealthily follows the fighter and black mage, not knowing how right he was…


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is copyrighted by Nintendo_

**Final Fantasy: Origins**

By The Mauve Lantern

Lazarus and Orion, tired from their battle with the giant ogre, began to make their way to the castle city of Corneria, where they would hopefully find asylum from the monsters. While they were walking, the duo was pursued by the crafty thief known as Kozu, who kept to the trees in order to avoid combat and/or detection from the fighter and black mage. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for all three of them that evening…

"Whew! We're nearly there, Laz!" Orion stumbled along the path wearily, due to the blood loss from the fight earlier. "Soon, we'll be resting up in a nice inn, and we'll be all better!"

"Just…just get me somewhere before I vomit again!" Lazarus had been the one to slay the ogre, though he did not know how. The mage remembers gathering magic in his hands, then the ogre swinging his club, and then…nothing. He woke up to a barren wasteland that had once been a verdant forest, and a massive feeling of nausea that rolled around in him like the ocean itself.

"Just look at it this way: with the entire forest gone, there's no way there could be any monsters left, right?" No sooner had Orion finished this than a band of menacing creatures hopped out from the nearby bushes, which had survived Lazarus's spell.

"Urk!" Lazarus had to fight back the illness that swept through him at that moment before saying, "Goblins…just what we need…"

Standing before the two intrepid adventurers was a party of five tiny creatures called Goblins. They had sickly, orange skin, pointed ears, and crooked teeth. Each of the monsters was clad in stolen human clothes, though the one in front wore a long, sock-like cap, a green vest, and a forest-green jerkin. All of the Goblins had a small dagger in their knobby hands, and a purse around their waist for stolen loot.

The leader cackled and began speaking in gibberish. "Do you know what he's saying?" asked Orion.

"How, in all the circles of Hell, would I know that?" Lazarus replied before falling to his knees and spewing out the contents of his stomach across the forest floor.

"I don't know what's up with the random encounter here," Orion said as he gripped his sword in his hand, "but if it's a chance for to fight, I'm not quitting till I die!"

His magical friend gagged a little. "You-You're a complete and utter loon, you know that?"

"I do what I have to do, old chum!" The fighter proudly stepped forward before falling to one knee. "Heh, seems I…seems I can't really stand up…"

"Oh, for the love of magic, drink this potion!" Lazarus reached into the confines of his robe and tossed it to his friend. "If you die, they'll come after ME next, and I damn sure don't want to fight those ugly-as-sin beasts right now!"

Orion popped the cork out of the bottle and chugged the healing drink in one swig. He whipped his arm across his lips to wipe away the bitter liquid before saying, "Thanks, Lazarus; now stand back! This could get messy!"

"Just try not to…not to get too much bl-blood on me."

Swinging his sword wildly, Orion charged into the pack of goblins, but he was beaten back by the feisty creatures. Even with the potion's effects, he was still not at full strength.

"Gotta think of something!" he thought to himself. "I have to call upon all the teachings that Master Vargus passed onto me when I was a lad!"

**And so, the fighter harkened back to his days at the side of the renowned swordsman, Vargus…**

"_Ah ritt, 'rion! Dis is the most coomplicatted technick Ah've tot ye thus fare!"_

_A young Orion stood within the fabled halls of Vargus II's magnificent palace, right next to his master, Sir Vargus II, the Hero of the North. The master was a noble man from the ice lands of the north, who was the spitting image of Orion. He had long, bushy hair the color of a ruby, and his beard was just as long. A terrific scar ran down the side his face, covering one eye, and he wore an eye patch over said eye. Vargus was adorned in splendid armor, crimson with a white trim, and a flowing cape out the back. In his mighty hands was a sword that glimmered like star light._

"_Ah! A powerful technique!" Orion clapped his hands excitedly. "Teach it to me, teach it to me!"_

"_Cam yerself, ye wee lad! Ye mast use th's oonly when ye find yerself en a match wit' moore den one mahnster: Ye must 'old yer sword so that it runs along en the derecshun of the grownd; then, ye-"_

Orion racked his brains to recall the rest of the technique, but it was lost to him. "Damn my many head injuries!" he shouted. "Oh well, I guess I'll have to improvise…" As the monsters charged forward, Orion reached behind him and pulled out his second sword, which he kept tied to his back. With both blades unleashed, he spun through the air, crying out the name of his technique: "TWO-FISTED MONKEY STRIKE!" He leaped in and around the five goblins slicing and tearing away at the creatures until there was only a field of carcasses and severed limbs.

Lazarus's eyes grew wide, but he said nothing until Orion ran over and helped his friend to his feet. ""Two…two-fisted monkey strike?""

"Yup! And I just made it up right now!"

"You couldn't remember anything Vargus taught you, right?"

"Pretty much."

As they walked back to Corneria, Lazarus and his friend fell into a conversation about just why Orion had named his attack in the way he did. It involved the ancient zodiac of some foreign land, but by that point, the black mage regretted asking and ceased to pay attention. By the time the moon had risen into the sky, the two had reached the gates of Corneria. Standing in front of the gates were two guards, clad in the traditional gold and red armor of Corneria. Intricate spears were clutched in their hands, but the guards seemed friendly, more or less.

The guard on the left greeted them. "Welcome to Corneria, weary travelers!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lazarus mumbled, "Just let us through the damn gate."

"Say, were you guys in the forest earlier, when that explosion occurred?"

"We…we were…"

"Holy cow! How are you two even standing?!"

"Less talking, more gate-opening!"

While the left-most guard went into the gate house to open the giant doors, the guard to the right lowered his spear and started up a conversation with Orion. "SO, how'd you guys get like this?"

"Ah, we fought against an ogre and then some goblins. No big deal."

"Ogres, eh? Y'know, I tried fighting some with my spear here, but it didn't do any good!"

"Yeah, spears aren't really that practical in close combat. That's why I like swords: good, swift, easy to use in battle."

After more pointless banter between Orion and the guard, Lazarus grabbed his friend by the ear and tugged him through the now-open gate. "Come on, you idiot; I want to get to an inn before I bleed to death!"

Orion moaned, "Aww, do we have to? I was just having a good chat and everything!"

"You do, of course, realize that your arm is bent at an odd angle, don't you?"

The fighter looked down at his arm and noticed, for the first time, that his arm was bent backwards at a 45-degreee angle. "Huh," he said as he reset the bone into place. "There! Good as new!"

"Wha-What th-?!" Lazarus fell to the ground and vomited once more, the sight of Orion resetting his bone too much for him to bear.

"Are you okay, old chum?"

Wiping away some of the bitter liquid from his lips, Lazarus replied, "J-Just…get me to the inn, you moron!"

"Whatever you say, pal!"

The two travelers entered Corneria, and Orion stopped to take a look around and find the nearest inn. Thankfully, it was close, and they did not have to wander far before they happened upon the inn. It was a large, wooden building, with elaborate windows and designs in the walls. There was a red roof, and a sign that hung above a tall door that read, "The Corneria Inn", and was written in golden paint atop the Cornerian crest.

Orion opened the door and maneuvered his way in, making sure not to knock Lazarus into the doorframe. He made his way to the large, red desk that sat across from the door and looked around for a host; seeing none, Orion banged his fist on the desk. "Can we get some help?" he shouted.

"What was that, deary?" an old, feminine voice called back.

"IS THERE ANYBODY HERE?!"

"Yes, yes, I can hear you! Don't yell, for gosh sakes!"

A fragile, old lady emerged from the room that was behind the desk, and hobbled her way over to the front, where she gazed up at Orion. The innkeeper had to be ancient, perhaps a hundred years old, and it showed: her hair was white as snow, and very thin; her skin was quite wrinkly, and was like old leather. A black shawl was draped over her wizened form, and she was forced to use her gnarly cane to move about.

She put on a pair of large spectacle and asked, "What can I do for you, sonny?"

"My friend and I need a room for the night, ma'am!"

"Will that be all?"

Orion almost answered, but his growling stomach cut him off. "Um, could you also include dinner and breakfast?"

"Certainly, deary." The old lady's lips twisted into a smile, and she put her hand out, palm-side up, before Orion. "That'll be 30 gil!"

The fighter fished around for his money bag, and pulled out 3 golden coins. "Thankfully," he said to himself, "we got these from those goblins!" He handed off the coins to the old lady, who traded them for a bronze key.

"That's your room key. You'll be in Room 14, love."

"Thanks!"

Orion hefted up Lazarus, who had started slipping from his grip, and he said, "Come on, Laz; just a little further!" He made his way down a hallway that was lined with doors, all of them numbered, until he came to one that read, "14". With a smile, he put the key in the lock and turned it, allowing the door to open. The fighter strolled in with his mage friend, and looked around the room for a place to put him.

It was a fairly large room, which could easily accommodate four people or so, and there were four beds in the room, with snow white sheets. There was a fireplace on the side of the room, though there was nothing in it. A window adorned the wall opposite to the door, and there was a pot containing flowers perched on the sill.

"Here we go!" Orion exclaimed as he hoisted his friend onto one of the beds. "Comfortable?"

"Every moment I am conscious…is agony…"

"That's the spirit!" The fighter made his way back to the door and walked out, but not before saying, "I'll be in the dining hall if you need me! The key's gonna be here; if you want to leave, you should lock the door."

"Right," the mage coughed out, "because…because we have sooooooo many valuable possessions." He gagged again, and then said, "Pick me up some water, will ya?"

"Will do!"

With that, Orion shut the door and strode down the hallway, his belly craving food, until he overheard two women conversing to each other. He picked up a little of their dialogue as he walked, but his scattered brain only captured a few lines.

"Didja hear? The king's looking for-"

"Y'mean?"

"Aye, the Heroes of Light! Apparently-"

That was about all that the fighter overheard, but it was all he could think about has he wandered into the dining hall. As he devoured a leg of mutton and downed a goblet of wine, Orion began to remember the legend of the four heroes...something about…crystals?

A thought sprang into his head. "I've got a crystal!" Orion reached into the small pouch attached to his waist and withdrew a small, sapphire crystal, no bigger than his hand. The stone was cold to the touch, but whenever Orion touched it and then put it down, there was a trace of water on his hands. Lazarus had said that it was simply sweat on his hands, but maybe it was something else?

"I'll ask Laz when I get back to the room," he said as he chomped down on a forkful of pie.

***

Once he had finished his meal, Orion collected a jug of water from one of the barmaids and delivered it back to his room. Lazarus had managed to prop himself up in bed with the aid of two pillows, but he still seemed uneasy. "I brought you some water, Laz!" Orion announced as he entered the lodging.

"Give it here," the black mage asked. His friend passed the jug to his friend, who immediately chugged the entire thing. Lazarus broke away from the jug, water trickling down his lips, as he gasped out, "Ah, sweet relief! Thanks, Orion."

Orion smiled as he accepted his friend's gratitude. He then felt the strain of the day upon his body, so he stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Oooooh, I think I'm gonna turn in, Laz!"

"Okay. Just blow out the candle before you go to sleep." The black mage turned to face the wall with the fireplace, and said, "Disturb my sleep, and I'll stab you in the back."

"You don't need to worry about a thing!" Orion exclaimed as he tossed his armor off of his body, revealing his toned muscles underneath, "I'll be way over here, so it won't be like that one time when we went camping."

"WHAT did I say about that?"

"Never to mention it again?"

"Yes, now be quiet."

The fighter plopped down onto his bed and tried to close his eyes, but for some reason, he could not sleep. Images of the crystal and the words "Heroes of Light" ran through his head. At last, he could take no more and he turned to Lazarus and asked, "Hey, Laz?"

"…"

"Psst! Laz!"

"Huh? Wh-Who's there?"

"It's me, Orion, silly!"

"Please tell me that you are several feet away from my bed."

"I am, I am! I just had a question!"

Lazarus groaned and rolled over so that he faced the fighter. "What is so important," the black mage asked, "that you had to wake me up in the middle of the night?"

"Are we heroes?"

"What?"

"Are we, y'know, heroes?"

"You slice things apart with your sword for money, I obliterate things with arcane magicks for money, and we do this everywhere we go; we've been doing this for five years now, we'll do it for the rest of our lives, and then we'll die. Does it SOUND like we're heroes?!"

Orion put his finger to his chin in thought and then asked, "Well, do you think our crystals are important?"

"Y'mean that blue rock you've got and the yellow thing I have? Probably not, why?"

"Well, I was thinking--"

"--That they're important?"

Orion and Lazarus pivoted their heads to find the source of the voice, and they found it in the form of a tan, handsome man who stood in the corner of their room. His azure hair draped over his eyes, but they could make out a smirk on his face. Clutched in the man's right hand were two crystals: a gold one and a green one.

"Who are you?!" Orion shouted as he grabbed his sword.

The man held up his hand. "I'm not here to fight; I just want to talk." He tossed the golden crystal over to Lazarus, who deftly caught it in his hands. "You left that with me in the forest today."

"Wait a minute!" The black mage leapt out of bed as he realized just who he was talking to: the thief from the woods! "What, did you FOLLOW us here?!?"

"Yes," the thief said, "I did. I followed the light of the crystals. Look!"

Sure enough, the crystals in each of their hands were glowing, releasing a warm, calming light. The lights were brighter than they were in the woods, and they easily lit up the dark room.

Orion marveled at his crystal, and he said, "Wow, this is incredible!"

"Again," Lazarus asked the thief, "Who are you, and what's going on?"

The thief nodded his head and sighed. "My name is Kozu, and I believe that we three are meant to be the Heroes of Light!"

"Say WHAT?!?"

"YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is copyrighted by Nintendo_

**Chapter 3**

Kozu the thief looked back and forth between Orion and Lazarus, the fighter and black mage he had encountered earlier in the day. The three men were standing in a furnished inn room in the middle of the night, with only the light of the moon illuminating their lodgings. At that moment, Orion and Lazarus were speechless: according to this thief, the three of them were meant to be the fabled heroes of destiny, the Heroes of Light. To prove this, Kozu held out his emerald crystal, while Orion offered up his sapphire and Lazarus reluctantly produced his amber crystal; all three were glowing in a radiant light unlike any their holders had witnessed before.

"Do you believe me now?" asked Kozu as he put the crystal back into his pouch.

"It's impossible," Lazarus mumbled, "just impossible. How can this have happened?"

"It's destiny!" Orion shouted. "We were always meant to be the Heroes of Light!"

"I'm a cynical pagan, you are a brainless oaf, and this man is a kleptomaniac. There is no way that fate is so bleeding stupid as to pick people like us."

Kozu paced around the room as Orion and Lazarus bickered back and forth between each other. His eyes were constantly going back to his pouch. Was this really his destiny? Was he meant to save the world? These questions plagued his mind, but he ignored them for the moment.

"Listen," he told the pair, "I have a feeling that we will find the final Hero of Light somewhere in Corneria. Tomorrow, we shall search him or her out. For tonight, we shall sleep."

Lazarus staggered back to his bed, his earlier bout of nausea returning to him. "Yeh, well, find your own place to sleep; this bed is mine!"

"Don't worry about me. I can sleep standing up."

"Really?"

"Yes, fighter, it's a thief skill."

"Call me Orion!"

"Orion it is. And you, o black mage?"

"I'll tell you in the morning."

Soon after, Kozu fell asleep in the corner of the room while Lazarus was tossing and turning in his slumber. Orion was the only one who did not sleep that evening. He was much too excited about the prospect of saving the planet. The fighter spent that entire night wondering just where the final member of the party might be, and whether or not they would be as amicable as Lazarus was.

**

On that same evening, on the floor above the three Heroes, a traveler was trying as hard as he might to NOT fall asleep. He was bent over at the table in his room, poring over a scroll that he had procured while on the Eastern Shores. Occasionally, he would brush back a lock of his white hair that had fallen into his eyes. The lonesome scholar perused the contents of the scripture before finally rolling it back up and placing it inside his satchel. Enough was enough; he needed to sleep.

He removed his red coat and laid it upon the table's chair, and then did the same with his pants. His boots were left by his bedside. The last thing he stripped from his body was the red crystal that hung from his neck. It was emitting a bright light, like never before.

"I'll investigate that come the morrow," he whispered as he placed the ruby upon the nightstand.

**

At that same time, under that same moon, a young maiden was kneeling at the side of her bed, praying to the heavens for an answer to her divine question. She was a fair maiden, raised her entire life in a convent, who was given but one purpose in this world: to do the biddings of the gods. When she concluded her prayers, she rose up and shed her priestess robe. As she lay her body to rest, she noticed that the ruby necklace she was given by the High Mother was glowing in the moonlight in a most ethereal way.

"How lovely," she murmured as she drifted into slumber.

**

The next day saw the three travelers on the busy streets of Corneria, wondering what exactly they were going to do. Orion was jittering all over, eager to find this person he would he fighting against the forces of evil with; Lazarus was wondering if he might be able to sneak off and find a Spell Shop somewhere; Kozu was busy fighting the urge to rob everyone around him. Only one of them was focused on the task at hand.

"So how're we going to find the other Hero?" asked Orion.

"We'll go around to crowded areas," said Kozu. "If our crystal begins to glow, it means that the holder might be nearby."

"And if it's a crowded area, exactly HOW are we supposed to pick them out?"

"Talk to them, Lazarus. You'd be surprised at how much you can accomplish when you work with other people."

"I'll show you how much I can accomplish when I shove my knife into your greedy little-"

Orion clapped his companions on the back. "A splendid idea! Kozu and I will go shop at the tavern, while Lazarus can, um…"

"I'll be down by Ye Olde Magick Shoppe." The black mage wandered off down the alleyways to parts unknown. His comrades were left to go drink and ponder exactly what sort of sick sense of humor the forces that be must have…

After wandering for a spell, Lazarus happened upon a quaint shop that was made from white stone and had a stone-gray roof. There were three windows along the front and a single oak door served as an entrance. "Seeing as how my fellow Heroes of Light are off drinking ale till they can't stand," he wagered, "I have more than enough right to horde up on some arcane sorcery." With that decision made, he entered the old shop.

Seated at the counter was a fat old mage clad in a crimson robe. His head was adorned by a wizard's cap, and, like Lazarus, his face was concealed in the shadows. When Lazarus entered the shop, the old wizard looked up. "Well," he wheezed, "a customer! What sort of a spell would ya be looking for?"

"I'll take whatever you have, old man."

"I have Fire, Lightning, Sleep, and Focus."

The young black mage thought for a moment. "Which ones will allow me to destroy a monster should it even think of crossing my path?"

"That would be the first three."

"I'll take them." He threw his money onto the counter and sped off with his new magic tomes in hand. A giddy smile was on his face as he ran out of the shop. Nothing, not even the stupidity of his traveling companions could ruin his day!

WHAM!

Lazarus and the person he collided with fell to the ground. He rubbed his head and started to shout, "Hey, why don't you watch where you're go…go…oh," but he stopped when he realized exactly WHO he had bumped into.

Standing in front of him had to have been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. A white mage's robe was wrapped around her body, but the hood was pulled down, revealing fiery-red hair that fell down to her shoulders and framed her face perfectly. Her dainty features were elegant, like royalty, and yet, she did not seem unapproachable. She had a cute little nose, soft, oval-shaped eyes that glistened like the surface of the ocean, and voluptuous lips that looked as soft as a pillow. Underneath the robe, the woman was wearing a pale blue tunic that was light and ephemeral. Her feet barely touched the ground, and her steps were silent thanks to her soft slippers. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Oh, I'm so very sorry!"

"I…no, it, um…uh…"

"I must have hit you by accident as I was leaving the White Magic Shop. Are you okay?"

Lazarus was not okay. His mouth was not working but his brain was on overload. _Snap out of it, you damnable fool! The most perfect woman in the world is talking to you and all you can do is stand here as though you are petrified!_

At last, his mouth moved and he shouted, "I AM LAZARUS, THE BLACK MAGE!" The woman stared at him for a moment before bursting into giggles. "Oh, I'm…I'm so sorry, hehe! I shouldn't be laughing, I just- hahahaha!" At that moment, Lazarus was very, VERY thankful that the standard black mage robe covered his face, for his blush would have put the ripest tomato to shame.

She stopped laughing soon after and reached out a hand. "Sorry for that, Lazarus the Black Mage. My name is Sister Maria, the White Mage." Her voice was silken smooth like a cat's.

"My apologies," he said as he shook her hand. "I'm just, well…"

"I can perfectly understand you're, er…problem."

"Come again?"

"Well, black magic has ill effects on the brain, has it not?"

"Madam, I do believe you insult me."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Black Magic destroys the outer world, not the inner. We use our powers for decimating our enemies, not ourselves."

Another awkward silence passed. "Yes," said Maria after a time, "well, I must be going to the market. Farewell, Lazarus the Black Mage." She wandered off in a hurry, leaving Lazarus all to himself.

"Well, strike me blind," he exclaimed, "I think she likes me!" The black mage dusted off his robes, checked to make sure his breath was fine (it was not), and then followed after Maria. He did not notice that the crystal in his pocket was glowing…

**

A good distance from the magic shops was the Cornerian Tavern. It was a place where all sorts gathered to drink, to gather a strong party, but mostly to drink. The tavern was nice and furnished, but there were some spots that were offset because of a brawl that had happened there. This was where Kzou and Orion were, and where they would hopefully find their fellow Hero of Light.

"Okay," Kozu whispered to Orion, "I'll head over to the mercenary guild, you cover the bar."

"Gotcha." The two split up. Kozu headed over to meet and greet the various warriors for hire, and Orion went to, well, drink ale and make conversation. The fighter plopped down onto a red barstool and said, "Barkeep! I'll have some of your finest ale!"

"I'll second that!" An inebriated man stumbled over and knocked into the bar. He was dressed in the Cornerian armor sans helmet, revealing a thick head of blonde hair. The man shouted, "It's the most t'rrible thing! That thieving bastard Garland has gone and stolen the princess Sarah! And the king's already sent out five of his most powerful knights, but they were slaughtered immediately!"

Orion helped the knight onto a barstool. "Tell me about this Garland guy."

"He's a right awful…the most powerful knight in all of Corneria…We always knew he was a little, y'know, wrong in the head, but we never figured he was a full-fledged demon of the Nether World!" The bartender passed a pint of ale to the knight. He took a big swig of the drink. "He can't be stopped by ordinary means. I…I fear that we might not be able to save the princess at all!" He broke down into fitful, drink-induced tears upon the bar and slammed his fists against the wood. Orion stared in sympathy at the man and wondered if there was nothing he could do.

"Don't you worry," he said as he clapped the man on the back, "the Heroes of Light are coming, and will surely save the princess!"

The drunken man did not hear him. "We're all doomed…it's over…the forces of evil have won…"

While Orion continued to drink, and Kozu spoke to the mercenaries, neither of them noticed the glowing light of their crystals grow brighter and brighter…

**

"Look, lady, all I'm saying is healing spells aren't going to do a thing for you when you wander down these tough city streets alone at night! Sometimes you need protection from the fiends that lurk nearby!"

"You mean protection from the house of elders or from the orphanage?"

"Both! Those old folks and children can be tricky little bastards."

Lazarus was following Maria through the crowded market square. So far, he had yet to actually impress her with his vast store of knowledge. It did not help that he was constantly offending the white mage to no extent. At the moment, Maria was perusing a stand of fruits, while Lazarus was standing beside her. Even though his face was concealed, she could tell that he had a cocky smirk plastered on his mug.

"I mean, these are powerful magicks that make a man feel alive! With power coursing through every sinew, every vein of your body! How could you possibly turn that down in favor of the art of healing?"

"I did it because I want to help people." She spun to face him, and gave Lazarus a most dangerous glare. "You are, without a doubt, the most morally bankrupt and violent man I've ever had the misfortune of knowing! Leave me and stay out of my sight!" Maria began to walk off, but Lazarus ran ahead of her and cut off her path.

"Listen," he said, "I'm sorry about all that. It's just that, well, I'm not so good at talking with women. Particularly beautiful ones like yourself."

"Oh! W-Well all right then!"

"Yes, and I want to apologize. My friends and I are…explorers of a sort, and we laak a healer. I know they are down at the tavern; may I get you a drink so that we might discuss this at length?"

The white mage put a finger to her chin in thought. "All right. Besides, I would honestly like to hear more about black magic. Could you refrain from talking about killing innocent beings, however?"

"I make no promises." The two of them walked off to the tavern, the animosity from before having all but vanished.

"Remove your hand from my buttocks before I crush you with my hammer, please."

"It slipped, I swear!"

**

When Lazarus entered the tavern with Maria, he spotted Orion from across the room. "Orion! Have you found anyone yet?"

"Nope," he replied, "but Kozu's talking with some people over there, so we'll see what comes up!"

The thief wandered back over and joined the small group. "Well, there wasn't a soul over there that had the red crystal of fire. I know, I checked. Speaking of checking things, I will need to stop by the shop and sell back all these trinkets I "found" on the floor."

"You just found them?"

"That's right, my black magic friend."

"You have a pearl necklace."

"Someone must have dropped it. Don't worry, it will go to some little orphan girl, I just know it."

Maria smiled sweetly. "Oh, that's so wonderful of you to give to charity!"

"See," said Orion, "he's a great guy!"

"He's a THIEF!" shouted Lazarus.

"I think he might have some anger issues."

"I concur. Just on the walk here, I could detect some amount of self-loathing."

"That's what I've been saying for years."

The black mage growled. "I know a dozen ways to kill you three."

"But won't you just be hurting yourself in the process?"

Before Lazarus could stab anyone with a knife, Kozu jumped between them. "Okay, let me just cover some ground rules when we set off on our journey. Any treasure we find? Mine. Any gil we find? Also mine, but I will loan some to you. Any weapons? Those that I cannot wield will be passed to a person who can. Any items? Those will…" He kept going on, but Lazarus was no longer listening. He was gazing longingly at Maria, and he felt a tug in his heart.

_Sweet saints above, this woman is beautiful! Why, we might just be destined to be together! I mean, she casts white magic, I cast black magic. She is soft and gentle while I'm ruthless and violent. It's the age old proverb of opposites attracting!_

_But she's far too good for me. What am I? I'm just a cynical, emotionally crippled narcissist who has homicidal urges. What chance do I have with a beauty such as hers? I don't deserve to stare into her deep, blue eyes. I'm unworthy of gazing at her brilliant red hair. Saint Ivalice, why did it have to be red hair? As if she wasn't unattainable enough…_

"Lazarus, are you okay?"

"Why won't you love me?!"

His companions all stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Embarrassed, Lazarus bowed his head and made his way to the bar. Orion wanted to spare his friend from humiliation, so he asked, "Kozu, can you fight? We'll be taking on a lot of dangerous enemies!" The thief responded by drawing two short swords from his belt and spinning them at a high speed. When he stopped, the fly that was circling around him split into at least three pieces.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Great! And White Mage, what can you do?"

"Well, fighter, my name is Maria and I am a priestess for the Church of St. Ivalice. I am gifted with a knowledge in healing magicks, and I wield a large hammer of divine judgment."

Both men looked at her before saying, "Wow."

"That's mighty impressive," Kozu sighed, "but what we're looking for is someone with a red gemstone that glows with our own." He held up his green crystal, and Orion did the same for his blue one. From at the bar, Lazarus hoisted up the golden crystal. "We are the Heroes of Light, y'see."

"The Heroes of Light?"

From out of nowhere came a spry young man wearing a red cap and garments. He had, in his pale hands, a red crystal attached to a chain. "Good sirs, I do believe this is what is known as fate!" he exclaimed.

"Just who are you?" asked Kozu.

"Oh, pardon my intrusion. My name is Lucius Malchior, scholar and student of the Red Magicks!" He hoisted his hands into the air as though he were receiving some award. Lucius was, from what the others could tell, fairly well-built man that was no older than they were, though his body was hidden in the confines of a fine shirt, pants, boots, and a large cape. His cap had a white feather placed in it; it matched his long, white hair. There was a sword in his belt, and a satchel over his shoulder. He opened the satchel and began to distribute various papers to Kozu, Orion, and Maria.

"This is my magical degree from the Mage Academy in Pravoka, my degree in teaching from Corneria, and my title of 'Head Master Mage' from the city of Delmar. I think you'll find that I am more than qualified to join as your fellow Hero of Light!"

Kozu flipped through the documents for a moment and then said, "Well, everything appears to be in order. And your crystal is glowing brightly. Lazarus, stop drowning yourself in ale and come over here!" The black mage hesitantly returned to the group and he held out his crystal. All four of the crystals shined as bright as stars, and Maria had to cover her eyes from the shine.

"Well, it appears that we four are the Heroes of Light!" exclaimed Orion.

"Before we continue," Lucius coughed, "I would like to know if any of you have any personality defects."

Kozu pocketed his crystal. "I'm a thief, Lazarus is a cynic and a jerk, and Orion is an imbecile. And judging by your know-it-all attitude, I would say that you'll fit in nicely! Welcome aboard!"


End file.
